Evanescence
by GO ZeldaXLink
Summary: Link and Zelda are best friends at birth. As the years go by, life's obstacles will test their friendship. (I'm not the best person at making summaries, hopefully the story will be better than it sounds) AU
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

It was a warm sunny day in the summer of Orange, California; the sun cast its afternoon glow among the people. Those who basked under the afternoon sun sighed in pleasure; the mood couldn't be more relaxing.

Well, except for two young soon-to-be mothers.

Within the walls of Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, the miracles of life had occurred. One of the mothers had given birth to a healthy baby girl with golden blond hair and forget-me-not blue eyes while the other mother gave birth to a baby boy who also possessed locks of golden blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. Not only was it ironic that these babes had been born on the same day but their fathers knew each other well. Daphnes Harkinian, the wealthy business owner of Kid's Paradise (where toys of all kinds were sold) was the proud father to the little girl that was named Zelda. Rinku Reider, a survivalist and a corrections officer at Orange County Detention Center was the anxious father to his newborn son, Link.

Zelda (who was born first) wailed upon entering her new environment away from the comfort of her mother's womb. Her mother, Victoria was heaving from the delivery, but was otherwise fine. The doctors that assisted in the delivery carried the newborn away and determined that Zelda was quite healthy. Zelda was returned to her mother who looked at her daughter with maternal love, exuding this feeling quite brilliantly just from her countenance. Daphnes reunited with his wife and gazed at the newborn Zelda with more love than their riches could amount to.

Link (who was born not long after Zelda) awoke to a vastly different atmosphere and wailed much in the same manner as Zelda. The doctors checked on him and determined that he was healthy upon examination. His mother basked at her son's birth, though she too was quite tired from the delivering process. When Link was returned to his mother, Rinku entered the room with anxiety clear in his eyes. However, upon spotting his son, his anxiety melted and relief filled his eyes. He hugged his wife and son and tried to think of a happier time than this. He could not.

After several weeks in the hospital, the mothers were given permission to return home. The fathers decided to meet again with their families so their children could play with each other. When the time finally came several months after, the parents could not help watch the amusing antics their children were doing. Though, the good mood was spoiled when Zelda threw a block that hit Link in the head and he began crying. This action was followed with Zelda wailing as well pushing the parents to console their children. However despite the change in the mood, the parents knew that their children would get along one way or the other.


	2. Best Friends Forever (Part 1)

**A/N: I do not own the Legend of Zelda or its characters.**

The days of infanthood had passed but true to what the parents had thought; Link and Zelda grew up together as friends, best friends in fact. Every waking moment for the toddler duo seemed to consist of spending time at the other's house playing to their hearts' content.

One afternoon, Link's parents had brought him to the Harkinian mansion for a visit. Rinku and his wife, Lily made their way to the living room where Daphnes and his wife, Victoria were waiting; Zelda lied on the floor waiting for her playmate. After setting Link gently down on the floor, the elder Reiders and Harkinians sat idly on the plush leather couches across from each other, conversing of their pastimes and their well-being. Toys were laid in neat piles on the floor so as to keep the children occupied. The 1 year old Link and Zelda crawled on the carpeted floor grabbing any toys that were within their reach. Every now and then, the parents would gaze at over the antics of their children exuding a small smile when they did.

After banging a few blocks together, Link reached for a race car and began running it across the floor. With the right amount of force, the race car sped forward and stopped some distance away out of reach of Link's tiny hands. The toddler pointed his left index finger towards the toy but none of the parents seemed to be paying attention. However they did when they saw Link unsteadily get to his feet. The adults could only gawk in amazement as the 14 month old walk (albeit with some difficulty) to the toy, occasionally using the edges of the couch to steady himself. After grabbing the toy, Link clumsily sat himself down and began running the tiny car across the floor again. Lily squealed in delight and Rinku looked at his son with a proud grin on his face, while the Harkinian couple congratulated the toddler and encouraged him to do it again.

Link looked confusedly at Daphnes and Victoria then looked back up at his parents who both cooed him into standing up again. Though Link didn't know what they want, he ended up doing what they asked of him. Link stood up with less difficulty this time and walked the few steps necessary to reach his parents. Lily opened her arms out and encircled them when Link was within reach and began hugging him fondly while Rinku kissed his son on the forehead. Daphnes and Victoria laughed heartily at the exchange; this attention didn't go unnoticed by Zelda however.

Curious at the attention Link was receiving, she tried standing up but only succeeded in falling on her behind. Again she tried but once again fell backwards. Link, having noticed this, squirmed in his mother's arms; she gently set Link back down on the floor. Link crawled his way over to Zelda. He stood up when he was beside her as if he was trying to show her how to do it. Zelda watched her playmate's actions and began copying what he was doing. Zelda began standing up though was wobbling not unlike how Link was doing in the beginning. Since she was within reach of couch's edge, she grasped both of her hands onto it and managed to steady herself. With slow and small steps, Zelda dawdled towards the direction of her parents.

Daphnes and Victoria beamed with pride at their daughter's performance. Leda managed to catch Zelda before she fell forward. She picked Zelda up and buried her nose in her daughter's neck while Daphnes pinched Zelda's cheek. Link treaded towards his parents and raised his arms until they picked him up and began cradling him in their arms. The parents' pride and contentment emanated from within the room and no one dared speak lest they ruin the moment.

Over the next few days, Link and Zelda began reveling in their (in what they thought) newfound abilities. Zelda spoke her first word when she pointed to the cookie jar and said "cookie" causing her parents to whip around and look at her with shocked expressions. The Reiders went through a similar experience when the patriarch sat down on the couch to read the newspaper only to be met with a ball to the cheek. He whipped his head in the direction from where the ball came from only to stare at the innocent expression on his son's face. Rinku picked up the ball where it had fallen on his lap and rolled it across the floor towards his son who caught it as it made its way to him. Link held the ball up and vocalized the word "play". Rinku's jaw fell off its hinges and stared at his son with disbelief. Link tilted his head sideways (a lesson he learned from the family's golden Labrador) in confusion and uttered "ball".

By this time, Lily walked into the room wondering why she did not hear the sounds of newspaper turning or the TV only to walk in when Link uttered "ball". She too stared at her son in shock but broke out of her reverie immediately and gave him the biggest hug she could without crushing him. After sitting there for several minutes with an ogling expression, Rinku finally shook his head and broke himself out of his trance. Despite his tired countenance, he gave a sincere smile at the scene that stood before him.

Unfortunately, over the next few months, visits became less frequent due to odd hours on Rinku's part while Daphnes was kept away from his family due to his rapidly-growing business. Link's grandmother flew into town for the first time since her grandson's birth to look after the 20 month old Link so that Lily could resume her teaching career. Good-natured and patient just like any other grandmother would be, Link's grandmother began teaching him how to eat with a spoon and fork neatly. Though it took time, Link was able to do a decent job. On rare occasions when Zelda would come to visit, Link's grandmother would also teach her. Much to the grandmother's surprise, Zelda learned much more quickly than her grandson but either way, all the training paid off.

This occurred when the Harkinians and the Reiders had their once-in-a-blue-moon dinner together at a semi-formal restaurant. Sitting in the high chairs, Link and Zelda were given substantial amounts of food on their plates and began eating without any mess whatsoever earning a shocked expression from an old woman sitting not too far away from where the families were seated. Unlike Link and Zelda who were proficient with using utensils, the old woman's grandson sloppily ate with his hands earning looks of disgust from the other patrons in the restaurant.

The patriarchs chuckled under the breath at the shocked woman's expression earning themselves a hard slap on the forearm by their spouses, effectively shutting them up, though this did not help hide the amused grin on their faces.

**A/N: Some of the experiences that Link and Zelda go through in their toddler years are real life experiences of mine. When I was younger, I watched my cousin walking by using the couch to steady himself and I ended up copying him. My maternal grandmother taught me how to eat with a spoon and fork at a young age. When my parents ate at a restaurant one time, they put some food on my plate and I ate without getting myself dirty while an elderly patron gawked in amazement at how neat I was eating whereas her grandson was a mess. I do not remember these moments but that is what my parents told me.  
**


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